The Booze Blog - Alcohol, Bars, Malaysia and Beyond.

12 July 2015

The best drinking times are not the ones with the best locations or the best drinks (though those are nice to have) but are the ones shared with great company. It's a privilege to share some good times with old friends and a pleasure of making new ones through such sessions. Bonus is when I get to try and learn new stuff along the way. So here's a shout out to all of you for spending your good times with me at these events below, the ones before and the ones that will be coming our way. Yam seng!

1. Tasting Some Stuff I Can't Afford. :(

We had the utmost privilege of meeting up with Eiling and Luc Timmermans (of Thosop fame), both of whom are internationally-famous independent bottlers, for a whisky tasting party at their recent Malaysia visit. During these sessions, we bring some of our more down-to-earth stuff to taste and compare with Eiling & Luc's stuff of legends. Our palates get spoilt rotten and our lives are never the same again everytime we see them. <3

On the line up: Brora 30 years, Glendronach 1972, Craigellachie 19 years old, Green Spot, Eiling's Private Bottling of a 22 year old Irish Whisky, Hammer Head 23 years, Flóki – Icelandic Single Malt Whisky, Cadenhead Small Batch, Glemorangie Ealanta and Companta.

Interesting stuff: Hammer Head. Definitely doesn't taste as complex as you'd think a 23 years would. Very perfumey and sweet on the nose, tastes good, but too short a finish. And really, how often have you seen Single Malt Whisky from the Czech Republic?

Most memorable: Eiling's Private Bottling of the Irish, Craigellachie, Brora and that Glendronach. The last 2 are Luc's private stash. I'm never going to find it and even if I did, simply can't afford it. Sigh. But when you're travelling to Europe, keep a look out for Craigellachie as it's found on travel retail which is very worth getting. Eiling's one has ran out of stock - but from the moment I took a whiff at it to after I've had multiple tastes of it, I kept wishing that I had a bottle to call my own. After drinking that, the Green Spot tasted like, nothing. ;(

I used Canadian Club whisky,because it's the most easily available rye whiskey available in our local market. It's a ridiculous duty free price too (less than RM100). You can even drink it neat and it's very palatable and sweet - like most rye whiskies are.

I purposely bought an orange just to make a proper old fashioned this time. I used 60ml Canadian Club, 3 dashes of Angostura bitters, 5ml sugar syrup and a giant orange peel. With rye, gotta use less sugar because it's already sweet.

I had another one just before this one for comparison's sake, replacing the orange peel with Angostura Orange Bitters. While it had some of the orangey flavour, it lacks that fresh citrus punch you'd get with a fresh orange peel. So, don't settle. Always use fresh orange peels in your old fashioned, okay!

3. Troika Sky Dining Media Visit #TroikaCocktailsCruise

Received the honour of being invited to check out all 3 of Troika's bars last week. Wanna imbibe in a classy place with a view of the KLCC right in front of your eyes? This is the place to be. Blogpost with details coming up, but in summary:

Cantaloupe: This cosy corner bar is actually part of a lunch & dinner restaurant where diners have their pre-food drinks. But you could also hang out here just to enjoy the view with their classic cocktails and single malt whiskies.

Claret: The most visible of the 3 because it's the first thing that greets you at the entrance. Features 400+ wines and Italian-inspired cocktails. Bar bites available from the Italian restaurant, Strato.

Fuego: A South American cuisine restaurant which is opened for dinner and by reservations only. It has the biggest bar among the 3, featuring tequila and rum-based tiki drinks, many of them, with a twist.

Souled Out @ Sri Hartamas has been around since 1996. It's part of the Soul Society Group that comprises of Tujo, WIP, and Hubba Hubba. So many bars come and go but after 18 years this one's still standing - they must be doing something right! The restaurant & bar has now become so big, it has 2 other branches in Ampang and Bangsar South. The local and foreign food's really decent without bank-breaking prices, they constantly run happy hour drink promos and most importantly, the Sri Hartamas branch even provides you with FOC parking which I really appreciate (because you know how much of a headache parking can be in Sri Hartamas, right?). If you come during peak dinner hours, expect to wait for a table, so best make a reservation! For more: www.soulsociety.com.my

Until next week, drink safe!

Insta Weekly is a weekly summary of boozy updates from my Instagram.com/fireangel80 with the hashtag #angeltini. Feel free to follow me if you enjoy daily updates on booze, food and other random stuff by a girl from Malaysia. Cheers!